Your rights as a private tenant

All private tenants have some basic legal rights. Protected tenants have more rights than other tenants, but there are very few protected tenants in Northern Ireland.

Tenants who moved into their properties after 1 April 2007 have a few extra rights that tenants who've been living in their homes from before this date won't normally have. This includes a right to a minimum tenancy term of six months, unless a shorter term has been agreed in the written contract, and a right to have the landlord be responsible for certain repairs.

Legally, your landlord or the agent must give you a rent book. There is certain information which must be contained in this document, including your basic rights and obligations. If you don't get a rent book, you can complain to your local council.

When you rent a property it becomes your home. Your landlord must respect that the property is your home and must observe the proper legal procedures when entering the property or trying to reclaim possession of it.

All private tenants have the right to use housing benefit to help pay the rent. If you intend using housing benefit to help with your rent, make sure you know how much you are going to get. Housing benefit will not always cover your full rent.

Any deposit paid on or after 1 April 2013 must be protected in one of the 3 authorised Tenancy Deposit Schemes approved by the Department for Communities. Your landlord or agent must provide you with information on the deposit scheme he or she is using and a list of other prescribed information within 28 days of you handing the money over.

Not everyone who pays rent for a room or a property is a tenant. Some only have a license to remain in that property and are “licensees”. Licensees don't have as many rights as tenants and it's much easier to evict them.

Once you're into the second month of your tenancy, do a quick tenancy health check to see if your landlord has given you the legal documents you're entitled to. Checking this information at the start of your tenancy should make sure the tenancy runs more smoothly and will protect you when it comes to the time you want to move out.